Eating Animals

Image via here

I finished the book Eating Animals by Jonathan Safran Foer last night and I am a changed consumer. I know that sounds trite, but it's true.

I just began doing some research on local farms that raise animals for eggs and meat and will be posting about that soon...Foer is a big proponent of responsible, natural, humane raising and slaughtering of animals for consumption, even though he himself is a vegetarian now.

This book has educated me about the evils of factory farming--over 99% of the meat and animal products in America comes from factory farms--and now I wish to make informed decisions about where the animal products I ingest come from and how they were treated while alive and in death. Or if I personally want to consume animals at all.

A couple of my favorite quotes from the book:
"One of the greatest opportunities to live our values--or betray them--lies in the food we put on our plates. And we will live or betray our values not only as individuals, but as nations."
And:
"We have grander legacies than the quest for cheap products. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote passionately about the time when 'one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular.' Sometimes we simply have to make a decision because 'one's conscience tells one that it is right.'"

I recommend this book to anyone who is a self-proclaimed animal-lover- or just not an animal-hater, and anyone who wants to be more informed about where the meat you and your family are eating comes from.

Here's a link to Farm Forward, an organization that" implements innovative strategies to promote conscientious food choices, reduce farm animal suffering, and advance sustainable agriculture."

*A post is coming soon about local farms that humanely raise and slaughter animals.

Share